Stilicho defeats the army of Alaric in the battle of Verona,
forcing Alaric to retire. Honorius moves the capital of the Western Empire
to Ravenna.

405 AD

Stilicho repels a barbarian invasion of Italy under Radagaisus.
Martyrdom of the monk Telemachus, who is stoned to death trying to break
up an arenar event, closes the colosseum and officially ends gladiatorial
combat in Rome.

406 AD

Vandals invades Gaul.

407 AD

The last legion in Britain, Legio II Augusta, is withdrawn,
and the province abandoned.

408 AD

Murder of Stilicho by Honorius. Death of the eastern emperor
Arcadius. Replaced by Theodosius II at age 7.

Alaric sacks Rome, the first external capture of Rome in 800
years, and deposes Attalus. Alaric dies shortly after. He is succeeded by
Athaulf as the new king of the Visigoths.

412 - 413 AD

Constantius III drives Alaric and the Visigoths from Italy
into Gaul.

413 AD

Revolt of Heraclius in Africa put down.

417 AD

Visigoths settle in Aquitania, Gaul.

419 AD

Birth of the Emperor Valentinian III.

420 AD

Ostrogoths settle in Pannonia. Death of the Christian writer
St. Jerome.

421 AD

Death of Constantius III.

423 AD

Death of Honorius, replaced by the biy Valentinian with Placidia
as regent.

427 AD

Boniface revolts in Africa.

429 AD

Invited by Boniface, the Vandals in Spain, under Geiseric
invade and conquer Mauretania, then Africa.

430 AD

Death of the writer and Christian St. Augustine of Hippo.

430's AD

Roman General Flavius Aetius campaigns against Visigoths,
Burgundians and Franks in Gaul, re-establishing some Roman control.

434 AD

Attila made King of the Huns.

435 AD

King Theodoric I of the Visigoths besieges the Romans at Narbonne
but is eventually defeated by Aetius.

436 AD

Aetius defeats the Burgundians.

438 AD

Theodosius publishes a code clarifying Roman law.

439 AD

Geiseric of the Vandals takes Carthage.

440 AD

Geiseric invades Sicily, but is bribed to leave.

441 AD

Attila the Hun invades Thracia.

442 AD

Britain falls to Saxon invaders, despite continuing pleas
for help to Aetius.

443 AD

Attila comes to terms with Theodosius and the eastern empire,
focusing instead on the west.

447 AD

Attila invades Moesia.

450 AD

Justin I, future Byzantine emperor, is born in Illyria. Marcian
succeeds Theodosius II and stops paying tribute to the Huns.

451 AD

Attila invades Gaul devastating as he goes. The huns are eventually
defeated by Aetius and Theodoric I the Visigoth, though Theodoric is killed
and replaced by Theodoric II.

452 AD

Undeterred by defeat, Attila invades Italy but decides to
spare Rome and retires.

453 AD

Death of Attila the Hun.

454 AD

Revolts, internal power struggles and enemy attacks collapse
the Hunnic empire. With the threat of the Huns gone, Valentinian has Aetius
murdered for fear of his power. The Alemmani invade across the Danube.

455 AD

Valentinian III murdered by supporters of Aetius. Maximus
proclaimed emperor. At the request of Valentinian's widow Eudoxia, Geiseric
of the Vandals invades and sacks Rome from Africa. He carries off Eudoxia
and her daughters, leaving a power vacuum in the west. The Visigoths proclaim
the former general of Aetius, Avitus as new emperor in the west.

456 AD

'Master of Soldiers' Ricimer launches a fleet against widescale
naval attacks of the Vandals.

457 AD

Majorian is proclaimed as emperor in the West and is recognized
by the Eastern Emperor Leo, who had previously replaced Marcian.

460 AD

Destruction of Majorian's fleet by the Vandals off Cartagena.

461 AD

Death of Majorian. Libius Severus emperor.

463 AD

The Goths are prevented from crossing the Loire River by the
Roman general Aegidius.

Eastern Emperor Leo appoints the Roman general to emperor
of the Western Empire.

468 AD

Leo sends Basiliscus to crush Geiseric in Africa, but his
army is destroyed.

472 AD

Ricimer deposes Anthemius and installs Olybrius as western
emperor, however both die shortly after of illnesses.

473 AD

Glycerius set up as western Emperor.

474 AD

Death of Leo, replaced by his infant grandson Leo II who also
dies shortly thereafter. Zeno ascends as emperor in the east. Julius Nepos
ascends as the latest puppet in the west with the support of the eastern
empire.

475 AD

Romulus Augustulus, son of Hunnic general Orestes installed
as the 'last Roman Emperor'. Julius Nepos flees to Dalmatia.

476 AD

Germanic general Odoacer, in command of the troops in Italy
is proclaimed King. He desposes Romulus and offers to rule as King in the
name of Zeno, the eastern emperor. Zeno prefers to keep Julius Nepos as
Emperor, and Odoacer agrees, but Nepos never returns to Rome.

476 AD

End of the Western Roman Empire. With Odoacer's appointment
as King, the system of Roman government, first Republic than Imperial ceases
to exist. After over a century of near constant invasions and usurpations,
the Roman system finally collapses, permanently.

480 AD

Death of Julius Nepos, who lived essentially in exile in Dalmatia.
Though technically the last Roman emperor (Odoacer issued coinage and conducted
other administration affairs in his name, even after 476 AD) he held no
power since Odoacer's ascension as King.

Did you know?

Odoacer was chieftain of the Heruli, the Sciri, and the Rugii (see Germans). He and his troops were mercenaries in the service of Rome, but in 476 the Heruli revolted and proclaimed Odoacer their king.